In Which Learning To Swim Results In Near-Death Experiences
by Mutant of Time
Summary: John is having a pool party for his birthday, and invites all of his friends! Of course, what will happen when a certain gemini troll can't swim, and it causes problems to arise? Post Sburb AU, Rated T for language, slight EriSol if you look hard enough.


**Based off of a writing prompt I got on my tumblr, it's a one-shot with slight EriSol if you squint.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Homestuck or the characters, they belong to Hussie.**

* * *

Your name is Sollux Captor, and you can't swim. This is why you are totally and completely fucked over when John invites you, along with the rest of the trolls, to a pool party to celebrate his recently passed birthday.

You're trying not to look suspicious as you sit on your chair with you husktop in hand, trying to ignore everyone else. Several people try and get you to join in the water-related fun, but you wave them off.

"Maybe later," is all you have to say. That is until a certain small, angry troll comes up to you.

"Get in the water, grubfuck!" He orders you. Yes, _orders _you. You can't find it in your non-existent heart to tell him that his leadership status is no longer valid, since the game is over.

"No thankth KK, I'm buthy coding over here," you tell him, your patience with these idiots dwindling.

"Whatever, asshole! It's _your _loss!" he responds, proceeding to cannonball into the pool.

"Fuck you too, KK," you mumble to no one but yourself.

Several minutes later, Feferi is coming to bug you.

"Solluuuuxx!" she says, a hint of whining in her voice. Scratch that, a whole lot of whining. "Why don't you come and join us? The water feels so nice!"

"Becauthe, I have other thtuff to do. Like coding, ath I already told KK."

"Sollux, you can do your coding any day! This is a special day for John!"

"It ithn't even hith wriggling day anymore," you answer.

"It's as close as he's going to get to it though! Stop being a wriggler, Sollux!" Feferi persists in convincing you.

You sigh loudly. "Maybe I'll dip my feet in, but that'th it," you tell her with a huff, turning off your husktop and setting it to the side. You stand up and take off your shirt, as you hadn't done so before, and get a loud whistle from Strider. He and a few others catcall at you, which you roll your eyes at. You watch Feferi dive graciously into the water, and you walk over to the pool's edge, sitting down and putting your feet it.

She was right. The water does feel nice. You sit there for a few minutes, the other's splashing you occasionally, intentionally or not, and chuckle a bit. You long to participate in the fun, but really, if you tried getting in, you'd drown. You don't even know how to 'doggy paddle' for gog's sake. A certain fish-troll douche seems to notice this, or partly, and comes over to taunt you.

"Wwhat's wwrong, Sol?" He asks in his weird watery accent, heavily loaded with sarcasm.

"Oh fuck off, Eridan," you reply.

"Someone's not havvin' any fun. Party pooper," he taunts you childishly. "You're such a loser," he adds.

"Thayth the one wearing a hair cap," you reply. Eridan adjusts the called upon item and scoffs at you.

"I can't be havvin' my hair all messed up. I care about my appearance, unlike _you_."

"Whatever," you say. "Jutht go away."

Eridan does just the opposite. He pulls himself onto the edge of the pool and seats himself next to you. Things are silent for a few moments, and you contemplate pushing him back in the pool, but decide against it. The two of you watch the others, and you just hope they won't notice you sitting with Eridan, sort of willingly.

"Seriously, wwhat's wwrong?" Eridan asks again.

"Nothing," you answer. "Nothing ith wrong, tho jutht thtop athking."

"You're lyin'."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"Thut up."

"Make me."

You shoot Eridan a glare. He gives you a sly smirk and you just lose it. You grab Eridan by one of his horns and shove him into the water, but unfortunately, he grabs onto you at the last moment, dragging you in with him.

"Fuck!" you shout before splashing into the water. You can't reach the surface and you can't breath and you're panicking and holy shit you have no idea what to do, so you grab the nearest object and scramble to the water's surface. That nearest object still happens to be Eridan.

You gasp for air as your head emerges from underwater, and you're still clinging desperately to Eridan. You realize this though, let go of him and just scramble as fast as you can across the water to the ledge, but to no real avail. You're just flailing in the water and splashing everywhere and making a huge fool of yourself, and people are starting to notice. Various voices call out to you.

"Sollux!"

"Hey need help?"

"Sollux are you okay?"

You can't stay above the water to hear the rest. You're going back under and there's nothing to hold you up. You choke on the chlorine water and it's burning your throat and lungs as you accidentally breath it in, and your lungs sort of start convulsing and you've been under for far too long now, the water's too deep, you can't get up. You mind is becoming hazy, you can't see, you have no idea where your glasses went anyways and you're still struggling. Just as you think that this is the end, something lifts you up. No, someone.

You don't register who it is, but you feel several pairs of hands on you, pulling you out of the water, pressing into your chest to get the water out of your lungs, your mouth.

"Guys I think he's gonna need CPR or something," someone's panicked voice calls out. Several more answer, trying to figure out who knows CPR, who knows what you need. Your lungs are still burning, you're trying to breathe, you can't.

"I'vve got this."

You feel someone's mouth on yours. Air being forced into your lungs, your chest being continually pressed. Hell, your heart hasn't stopped beating! You don't need chest compressions! Another breath is forced into your lungs and you're coughing, coughing up water. You can breathe, and it feels good.

Your eyes flutter open, you take in your surroundings. The girls are standing in a group near you, worried looks covering their faces, hands covering their mouths. John looks shocked, Karkat looks furious, hell, even Strider looks concerned. But you only register one face really, and it's the face above yours. Eridan's. He's looking at you with the most concerned look in his eyes, half panicked, and you realize that _he's_ the one who saved you.

Everyone's speechless. You sit up on your elbows, and Karkat is the first one to ask,

"Are you okay, Sollux?"

"Yeah, perfectly fucking fine after practically drowning," you tell him sarcastically. A flicker of relief crosses his face.

"Great," he replies. After awhile, the others are going back to their previous activities after making sure you're perfectly fine, but Eridan stays.

"I didn't knoww you couldn't swwim," he said. It was his form of an apology.

"Yeah, nithe going there, athhole."

"Sorry."

"Whatever."

"Sol?" he calls out tentatively.

"What?" you snap back.

"Do you wwant to learn howw to swwim?"

"And rithk drowning again. _Fuck_ no," you reply, huffing and folding your arms.

"You wwon't drowwn. There's flotation devices an' all that you can use," he tells you.

"I'm not a grub. I don't need flotation devithes."

"If you don't wwanna drowwn, you do," Eridan answers snarkily, clearly beginning to lose his patience and small amount of care for you.

"You know what, fine. But only becauthe you're tho fucking annoying," you say, finally giving in just to get him out of your hair. You don't notice the smile that crosses his face. He runs off in half excitement to get you floating noodles and such, and you sit at the pool's edge grumbling.

Of course, a half hour later, you aren't grumbling when you're sitting on a noodle as if it were a swing, it being the thing keeping you afloat as you interacted with everyone else in the pool.

For once in your life, you, Sollux Captor, are trying to swim. And for once in your life, you are succeeding.


End file.
